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5"/54 caliber Mark 42 gun
|origin=United States |type=Naval gun |is_ranged=yes |is_artillery=yes |service=1953 - present |used_by=See ''users'' |wars=Vietnam war Lebanese Civil War |designer= |design_date= |manufacturer= |production_date= |number= |variants= |weight= |length= |part_length= Rifling: |width= |height= |crew= |cartridge=Conventional: |caliber= |action= |rate=As built/designed: 40 rounds per minute automatic Down-rated to 28 rounds per minute in 1968 |velocity= |range= |max_range=• at +45° elevation • at +85° elevation |feed= |sights= |breech= |recoil= |carriage= |elevation=• -15°/+85° Maximum elevation rate: 25°/sec |traverse=• 150° from either side of centerline Maximum traversing rate: 40°/sec |diameter= |filling= |filling_weight= |detonation= |yield= }} The Mark 42 5"/54 caliber gun (127mm) is a naval gun (naval artillery) mount used by the United States Navy and other countries. It consisted of the Mark 18 gun and Mark 42 gun mount. United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun fires a projectile in diameter, and the barrel is 54 calibers long (barrel length is 5" × 54 = 270" or 6.9 meters.)Fairfield(1921)p.156 In the 1950s a gun with more range and a faster rate of fire than the 5"/38 caliber gun used in World War II was needed. Because of this reason, the gun was created concurrently with the 3"/70 Mark 26 gun for different usages. The 5"/54 Mk 42 is an automatic, dual-purpose (air / surface target) gun mount. It is usually controlled remotely from the Mk 68 Gun Fire Control System, or locally from the mount at the One Man Control (OMC) station.Seaman - Military manual for the Seaman rate The self-loading gun mount weighs about including two drums under the mount holding 40 rounds of semi-fixed case type ammunition. The gun fires projectiles at a velocity of .Bailey(January 1983)p.106 Maximum rate of fire is 40 rounds per minute.O'Neil(March 1971)pp.48-49 Magazine capacity is 599 rounds per mount. The Mark 42 mount originally was equipped for two on-mount gunners, one surface and one antiaircraft, but the antiaircraft gunner position was scrapped later on when the increasing speed of naval aircraft made manual aiming of antiaircraft weapons impractical. The Mark 45 lightweight ( )O'Neil, March 1971, pp. 48-49 gun mount began replacing the Mk 42 mount in 1971 for easier maintenance and improved reliability in new naval construction for the United States Navy.Cooney(1980)p.40 Users ;United States :United States Navy * First used on * * and * *''Farragut class'' destroyer * * * ; :Royal Australian Navy * (modified Charles F. Adams class) ; :Egyptian Navy *''Damiyat'' class frigate (ex-USN Knox class frigates) ; :German Navy * (modified Charles F. Adams class) ; :Hellenic Navy *''Ipiros'' class frigate (ex-USN Knox class frigates) *''Kimon'' class destroyer (ex-USN Charles F. Adams-class destroyer) ; :Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force * * * * * ; :Mexican Navy *''Ignacio Allende'' class frigate (ex-USN Knox class frigates) ; :Spanish Navy * (modified Knox class) ; :Republic of China Navy *''Chih Yang'' class frigate (modified ex-USN Knox class) ; :Royal Thai Navy * (ex-USN Knox class frigates) ; :Turkish Navy *''Muavenet'' class frigate (ex-USN Knox class frigates) See also *5"/38 caliber gun US predecessor *5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun US successor *QF 4.5 inch Mk I - V naval gun British equivalent References ;Notes ;Bibliography * * * * External links *GlobalSecurity.org Mk 42 *NavWeaps.com Mk 42 *5"/54 MK 42 GUN - Seaman - Military manual for the Seaman rate via tpub.com Category:Naval guns of the United States Category:Naval weapons of the Cold War 5 inch Category:127 mm artillery